I'm a total newb at sewing.....I can operate a sewing machine, but I'm an idiot at tailoring. I can't cut pieces of fabric and get them to fit right once sewn together. I have a few costumes I'll be making soon and I could use some advice on how to make them without a pattern, and have them actually fit the people they're made for. They're really simple for anyone that knows what they're doing, but not for me!

Well... buy a pre-made pattern. I'm sure you could find ones that would help with those costumes since they are relatively simple shapes.

Or take a pattern-drafting class at a community college.

Or buy or rent a book on the subject.

Otherwise - and even with that, learning is a process of trial and error. My experienced sewing teacher had me make a mock-up of a jacket since she didn't know what alterations it would need just by looking at the pattern and looking at me - I would say this is fairly common. Even professionally tailored garments are at least "fit".

Your best bet - for either of those two - is going to be buy (a) pre-made pattern(s).

For the first one - find a pattern for a longish skirt and use that - or your other option (and this is going off MY body measurements 27" waist 32" hips)
get approx. 3 yards of fabric, cut down the fold, sew both sides together, baste the "waist" and gather, sew on a waistband (or sew in elastic), hem....

this gives you a fairly full skirt that is pretty long - you can obviously hem it up more if you want it to be shorter.

I use this method when making my skirts for Ren Faire because it's really simple, can be done in less than an hour (for me) and produces a fairly full, full length skirt.

In addition to the skirt, you could buy a white T-shirt and probably fabric paint on the sleeves in that purpley color.

As for her apron, most major pattern companies have apron patterns.
Her little kerchief thing is probably a big square of fabric folded on a diagonal
and then buy some brown boots.

The second one i'd say buy a white, scoop neck, 3/4 length sleeve top.
For the dress - find a pattern that looks like that (i know there are some I've been scouring dress patterns of late) and rather than sewing it in all one color, sew it in that red and blue. Again, paint the design on the skirt.
You can also just sew some red buttons on the front - OR if you're feeling really ambitions make them working buttons, but if youre not an experienced sewer this could be difficult

Yes, it would be easier to have a pattern, and trust me, I've looked....it seems the more simple a thing you're looking for, the harder it is to find. )= Everything needs to be all fancy, I haven't seen any plain old skirts and t-shirts or even a simple vest....

Yes, it would be easier to have a pattern, and trust me, I've looked....it seems the more simple a thing you're looking for, the harder it is to find. )= Everything needs to be all fancy, I haven't seen any plain old skirts and t-shirts or even a simple vest....

Just a quick search online - granted I'm just purely looking at pictures here and not scanning the actual pattern myself. but for the first one:

One of the most basic rules for survival on any planet is never to upset someone wearing black leather. (This is why protesters against the wearing of animal skins by humans unaccountably fail to throw their paint over Hell's Angels.) -- Terry Pratchett

I'd definitely go with altering patterns. If you don't have much experience with a sewing machine and don't have a dress form either, it'd be suicide (time-consuming wise) to try it with no pattern. Also, I don't know if you know what muslin it - it's my savior fabric. Cheap, I draw out all my custom patterns on it, so I don't have to re-make my cosplay patterns from scratch if I want to redo something.
Also, make sure you remember to leave hems on the patterns - check if it includes them in the pattern measurements, since not all do.

These are all great suggestions! I'd like to add that if you're going to cosplay for a long time (and who isn't??) you should definitely practice your sewing so you can feel more confident about it. Just buy some cheap fabric from the discount rack at Joanne's and buy some really cheap thread, and make some really menial items like pillowcases and such. Keep making more and more complicated things in small increments and soon you'll be a skilled tailor!

I have made my own patterns in the past (Minus one time where I used a pattern for a Lestat cosplay)

What I did was draw the patterns simply - I then would test it out by making miniture versions, and practice cutting out the patterns on smaller pieces of fabric. I can then tell if it worked out or not lol and not wasting that much fabric in the first place since I wouldn't use the full size version. Same thing can apply to proffessionally made patterns too, you can practice cutting out patterns just by using much smaller pieces of fabric (As if you were making a costume for a doll or something)

What I did was draw the patterns simply - I then would test it out by making miniture versions, and practice cutting out the patterns on smaller pieces of fabric. I can then tell if it worked out or not lol and not wasting that much fabric in the first place since I wouldn't use the full size version. Same thing can apply to proffessionally made patterns too, you can practice cutting out patterns just by using much smaller pieces of fabric (As if you were making a costume for a doll or something)

I know it might sound strange...but it can be useful.

Not strange at all. In fact, that's how I learned to sew and draft patterns: by making doll clothes. Whenever anyone asks me how to learn, that's exactly what I tell them to do. Make clothes for your old baby dolls. Bonus if they are odd-sized and force you to experiment.

One of the most basic rules for survival on any planet is never to upset someone wearing black leather. (This is why protesters against the wearing of animal skins by humans unaccountably fail to throw their paint over Hell's Angels.) -- Terry Pratchett

If you're making these items for other people, do they own any items of clothing which are similar. You could use these to draw around and create a pattern from, and you'll know they should fit that way. That's the way I do it with my own costumes, I've never used a bought pattern in all the costumes I've made!

I recommend using some kind of pattern because otherwise you will make lots of mistakes and end up spending far more on fabric then you might have planned for. Someone has already suggested Simplicity patterns as a place to start because their patterns are really easy to use and I agree with that. I also suggest that you make what is refered to as a 'mock up' out of muslin, broadcloth, or some other cheap fabric before actually cutting out anything from the real fabric you going to use. You can make endless alterations on a 'mock-up' while your trying to fit it and you don't have to worry so much about ruining your actual costume piece. Also instead of cutting out the actual pattern pieces from commerical patterns, which causes you to lose use of the other sizes in the pattern, trace out the patterns onto tracing paper instead. It's an extra step but it'll save you time and money if you find out later that you actually needed a larger or smaller size or if your needing to work with two different sizes from the same pattern. It also makes a handy place to note down changes you might have made to the pattern to make certain costume pieces.

I have heard drawing your pattern on newspaper works tho I have never personally tried it. I'm retarded at sewing and I find it hard to follow a pattern lol. I once made my own pattern by looking at pictures and measuring and drawing the pattern on the fabric in pencil and then sewing and cutting.